Please Note: We have changed ISP and the iprimus.com.au email address is no longer in use.

Please use info@lodgeropes.com for all email, this address is always linked to our current email account.

Lodge Ropes

Quality Handmade Natural Horsemanship Equipment

Cypress Lodge is our home in the central goldfields of Victoria, Australia, with our kids and our horses and ponys.We start, train and ride using ‘Natural Horsemanship’ techniques.We needed good equipment for the job but the brand name ropes were too expensive and some of the cheaper ones were rubbish.So over the years we have learned to make our own.Now we only make what we use, if it’s not good enough for our horses we wont make or sell it.

No gimmicks, just good traditional horse gear made from 100% Australian ropes and leather.

Please Note: We do not use any wildlife products in our equipment and if asked on the issue, we would say we were opposed to the commercial exploitation of wildlife especially the Australian kangaroo. The commercial killing of kangaroo for a novelty leather product is the largest slaughter of wildlife in the world. You can actively do something by not buying anything from anyone that sells kangaroo leather products.

Please note that Des is not a pet. Des is a wild magpie that shares our farm with us,

by her choice. Des is free to come and go as she pleases.

We have left these pics on our page as we really miss Des, she left one day and just did not come home. We hope she joined a wild family group and has followed her natural path.

Dylan in the UK, a Gypsy Vanner / Cob we also have a great pic of Dylan in turnout gear at a horse show

Oscar in France, looks like a McClellend military style saddle & Half Bosal hackamore, Oscar has to be the coolest Jack in France and we hear he is a bit of a star with the Jills. oo la la (said in an outrageous french accent)

Kahlua in Israel. If you think your local ride is tough, Kahlua's owner rides the DMZ between Israeli & Palestinian check points

We get so many emails each day, then every so often one arrives that makes us stop what we are doing and gather around the computer. In 2010 the email from Jim in Manitoba, Canada, gave us an insight into past times... so here it is for you all to enjoy.

As a long-time fan of the hackamore, I learned the principles some 40 odd years ago at the knee of a good old Canuck cowboy who was a bit of a legend here in Manitoba. (Well maybe not at his knee since he was a bowlegged 5' 4" or thereabouts.) Many of the people I showed with had nothing but disdain for the equipment and since this old guy did not show horses but rodeo'd, the mob psychology had it that there was only one way to train a horse - with a snaffle - and none of them ended up with a spade or salinas bit.

This old cowboy was also a bit hard to communicate with and believed if you didn't learn it yourself, it wasn't well learned so no "book larnin". On the other hand I sent away for every 16 MM film reel, 8 MM tape, book (long before the Internet and CDs) or training manual I could get my hands on.

One of the most helpful was "the Hackamore Reinsman" by Ed Connell and I tried to apply his principles which took me even further than my mentor had. So we departed. But suffice it to say some of the horses we put a good finish on people couldn't believe. They swore there had to be a bit and bridle in there somewhere. Without seeing the training but only a half finished horse, they couldn't believe a horse could stop, spin, backup, settle, chase a cow on the open range with no tail twisting, ears back or head throwing and still had never carried a bit.

You know where this is going. We started them with any old halter and soft lead shank, then graduated to a big, soft bosal, migrating to smaller and stiffer ones and always used the fiador and mecate. I still have some of them today but because the method was out of favour with mainstream "horsemen" it was exceedingly difficult to find rawhide core bosals at an affordable price. (I still have one cable core I should have thrown out long ago.)

Awhile ago, I found a hackamore in a tack store that was selling junk but the shaped bosal jumped out at me immediately screaming: "I'm rawhide to the core so buy me". I bought it for nostalgic reasons since the owner brought it in for a customer not knowing what it was used for and then he didn't want it. She got her money out of it from me and I found a small treasure to hang as a piece of art since I no longer keep horses.

So, here's me with no support for many years and long past my show time, I find your website site to show a friend how to tie the knots and want to tell you how much I'm impressed. Parelli I have heard about for years though had never taken in one of his clinics but was influenced with what I heard from those who did. Specifically, I didn't know he used hackamores.

Your analogy of the rope halter (hardly if ever saw them in our day) and the workings of the hackamore shows me what we missed. Knowing the principles of hackamore reining isn't enough. If we used rope instead of leather halters first we could have progressed faster, easier, cheaper, better. I know from reading your material how deeply you understand the principles. Intuitively, I see it will work. You're a thoughtful, scholarly and I'm guessing, caring and compassionate teacher. And I'm encouraged to read from yours and other sites this wonderful tool is regaining (or developing a new) popularity.

Just some ramblings from an aging horseman. And as the song goes: "I never sold my saddle(s)."

Jim

Natural Horsemanship - You are Never Alone

Many of the people we meet online are often isolated from other Natural Practitioners. They work alone from books and videos, never sure if they are progressing or if their horses are really improving from the work. Self-doubt reaches us all at times. We try to help and encourage when we can, sometimes mailing photocopies of things that have helped us on our journey.

Remember, you are never alone. Kindred spirits are only an email away. Please click on 'Lodge Links' on the menu for some great sites to visit, including Natural Horsemanship equipment suppliers that have informative sites that you may wish to put in favourites for future visits.

A great US site for you to visit:LESS is MORE Natural Horsemanship.

NO WHIPS, NO BITS, NO SPURS.Michael has lots of info onhackamore riding and his training philosophy & methods are sympathetic to most Natural Styles.

You meet some of the nicest people when you hang around horses. This is a plain and simple unpaid advert for a great product handmade by one of the nicest people you will ever meet. If you dont have a jar of the balmers blend ABC Gel in the tack shed.....GET ONE!!!!!

We are so impressed with this product we have put it on our homepage ...logo and all....just to let our friends, customers and visitors know about the ABC Gel and other specialist products made by Balmer's Blend.

Visit with Don (Mr Balmers Blend), here is his website with all the info you need,